MEDIA

Liz and Nioka Chatfield on Prime7 News August 18 2016

An Armidale woman is on a mission to help those suffering from childhood trauma. Attending a healing program 3 years ago – Nioka Chatfield is now determined to bring the program to the New England North West.

Aboriginal mother-of-ten Nioka Chatfield wants to bring a Heal For Life service to Armidale after the foundation helped her feel normal again published in The Armidale Express on 10 August 2016

A childhood trauma was eating away at mother-of-ten Nioka Chatfield who reached out to support networks, only to find she didn’t meet their criteria. Mrs Chatfield didn’t have a drug problem and she didn’t have an alcohol problem but she needed help.

“It was so hard for me to find a service that I fitted the criteria for,” she said. “I tried everywhere. And even thought they were wonderful and I’ve become friends with a lot of them, I just didn’t fit the criteria.” So Mrs Chatfield reached out to the Heal For Life Foundation. She attended a Heal for Life residential healing week three years ago which she said saved her life. “I was at breaking point,” Mrs Chatfield said. “The Heal for Life program gave me answers about why I was going through certain things and why life was a constant battle. It was beautiful the moment when I realised I was normal….” Read the full story

Solace for the Soul published in the Weekender edition of the Border Mail 2015

When Inspector Cottee was invited to attend a workshop about the Heal for Life Foundation at Albury’s Woomera Centre earlier this year he went along not just with an open mind but with an open heart. There he learned of the foundations approach to addressing he underlying cause of destructive behaviours and addictions that contribute to so many of the community’s big picture problems. Now the man charged with the task of curbing the region’s crime rate says that while there is no silver bullet, he sees great potential in the establishment of this ground breaking program on the border…. Read the full story

Triumph over adversity published by South Western Times on 10 September 2015

Penny Garvey is a woman of many hats but her role as a Heal for Life director might be her most important. The charitable organisation provides camps and training to help people overcome childhood trauma and abuse. Penny became involved after her own healing journey in 2009…. Read the full story

Heal for Life Volunteers Recognised for Service on July 22 2015

Freer (Allison) Bonne and Joe Cause were presented with adult volunteering effort awards for their work with Heal for Life. The Premier’s Volunteer Recognition Program provides a greater recognition of volunteers than has ever been possible and complements the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award program. The presentation ceremony was held at the Cessnock Performing Arts Centre on July 22 2015…. Read the full story

BEING In The Country Recovery Conference held on 27 May 2015

The Recovery Conference is an annual state wide event run by BEING, previously NSW Consumer Advisory Group. It is an opportunity for people with lived experience of mental illness to learn from each other by sharing stories and skills.

BEING invited 2 delegates from Heal For Life to attend their annual Recovery Conference in Tamworth NSW on 27 May. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the fabulous people from that area and also connect with BEING in the incredible work they do. Heal for Life conducted a mindfulness exercise with all attendees at the start of the conference and also presented 2 workshops to rave reviews. It was a very rewarding experience being among so many people with a lived experience of mental health issues and being able to offer safe, practical and effective tools to enhance day-to-day life and increase well-being. The conference was very well organised and had a lot of heart put into it which went over well with all of the attendees I spoke with. BEING is a terrific organisation with a passion for person-driven, empathic empowerment for all they meet and work with. They provide a great trauma informed service. A huge thank you to all involved, we look forward to working with you all again soon… Read the full story

Watch the Prime 7 News coverage of the BEING In The Country Recovery Conference below.

Fundraiser’s profile in the can published by South Western Times on 5 March 2015

Director Penny Garvey and board member Jo Herring have joined Tin Wishes owner Claire Edmonds, who donated 200 custom-made canned invitations. Invitations were personally delivered to Bunbury residents last week for the Heal for Life Foundation fundraiser, at Koombana Bay Sailing Club on March 26…. Read the full story

The Tuart Times Issue 8: June 2014

Passionate about helping others heal

Linking claims may help stem child abuse published by Newcastle Herald on 20th April 2014

We are never going to make the slightest impact on the horrific child sexual abuse figures unless we develop a new approach to the whole problem on a number of fronts. One area of improvement is a better system of reporting and using information of suspicion of abuse… Read the full story

Banishing the shadow of abuse published by The Age on 13 April 2014

It is a phrase that despite its truth in the telling has become a cliche. The loss of innocence – whether it pertains to a person, group of people, city or country – has, because of its overuse, regrettably lost the full force of its meaning. This is especially so in the circumstance of crimes committed against children… Read the full story

There are more paedophile celebrities, says former casting agent published by The Sydney Morning Herald on 11 April 2014

For Liz Mullinar, once a top-level casting agent and a former friend of convicted child abuser Robert Hughes, the lesson of the high-profile case is that nothing much has changed – and she believes that in the world of entertainment, what happened on the set of Hey, Dad! is still happening now… Read the full story

Liz Mullinar – Sincerely Yours

Tarvydas’ designs spread joy

Ritualistic abuse in the UK by Dr Linda Stalley

…The scale of victimisation and abuse by gangs and groups is unknown, mainly for the reasons stated above. The National Missing Persons Bureau has reported that approximately 200,000 people go missing each year. It is well known that within groups engaged in ritual abuse activity, births of babies are often not registered, therefore an estimation of the numbers involved is extremely difficult to obtain… Read the full story

Helping Aboriginal survivors of child abuse and trauma

By Carol Duncan (ABC Newcastle )

Denise Kelly is a Wiradjuri woman who has been working with Liz Mullinar’s Heal For Life Foundation since 2005. Denise is now translating her experience in culturally appropriate education to helping support Aboriginal people who are survivors of child trauma and abuse… Read the full story

Brice Rowe – Volunteer of the Year Award

Brice Rowe has been volunteering at the Heal For Life Foundation for 10 years, offering his IT knowledge and skills to set up and maintain their database. Mr Rowe received the foundation’s first Volunteer of the Year award, but he said he was not expecting it…